Recently, I got a review copy of Luminar 3. You know, you get it as a free upgrade, if you own a copy of Luminar 2018. When having paid for an older version, you can get it for a reduced price.
This version finally brings the long-awaited feature “Library”.
Unfortunately, this is simply a remake of an editing module, where all edits are saved in a library, instead of single files just like the previous versions. But, first things first.
When I started Luminar 3 right after installation, I was asked, where my (raw) images are. I save them in a structure on my hard disk until editing the job is finished. In the past, I explained that principle for you in a separate blog post. But, only jpg-files popped up in the light-table view of Luminar 3. After a while, I decided to restart Luminar, and surprisingly, my raw-files also appeared on the screen. But, they didn’t appear in chronological order. Instead, the images of all folders were mixed. Raws mixed with jpgs and all of them seemed to follow no specific order. What a chaos! I was unable to find my raws, instead I opened accidentally an already edited image. I was totally confused.
Later, I found out, I can browse the folder structure on the right to find a specific folder. But, it still offers all image files (raw and jpg). Until now, I can’t say, how to tell Luminar to ignore sub-folder.
When ready editing an image, you can export it to jpg. But, you can’t save the edited file. All of your edits are saved to a database. I have no idea, how to backup this database, to finish the edits at a different computer. I even don’t know, how to exclude the edits from the database, when I’m ready with the edits at a certain pile of images (finished a job). In the past, I simply moved the source folder to a NAS and the edited files to a different NAS, while the final jpgs go to my fileserver.
While Skylum destroyed Luminar, they didn’t bring the really needed part: a library for the finished jpgs where you can store the metadata: GPS, camera, lens, all of the exif data and all the necessary categories as well as the tags. These are the important information I need in a database together with thumbnail images in low quality and an external link to the fileserver, where the final jpg-file resists, to find certain images quickly.
Up to now, I can only say, it’s unusual! Stay with Luminar 2018 and don’t do the upgrade! It’s simply a copy of the mechanism already known from Adobe Lightroom (but, without the necessity to subscribe to a plan, that continuously costs you monthly fees to use it).
Here starts an ad:
So, when you’re still willing to give it a try, you can get it here. The trial is free. The final version will be available from Dec, 19th, 2018.
When using the code “SOLANER” during checkout, you can a few bucks.
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